Welding cost

ericher69 · Mar 29, 2012

Around here Ontario Canada usually $55/hr plus consumables and materials.

That $55/hr is after 1/2 hr you are charged for the hr.

Of course TIG on alum or stainless will be more $$

Have not heard of per inch charge

fixit · Mar 29, 2012

That does seem a fair bit to me

but on the other hand saying you can do the job in 20 mins or half an hour is a non starter

When i started doing odd jobs at home in the evenings i would think to myself i can't charge to much and it only took so long

Then i would think about it afterwards That i had to move my project out of the way to set up and then sweep up before i could start on my own bits again

No job is a 10min job and not many are 20mins

So now i charge what it is worth unless i know i will get a little help back

I have a friend that would help me fix my car and if he needed welding or anything else for that matter i would do it for him

Then he bought a new car and he was only working for me as nothing needed doing for him

So the other day i took on a chassie repair and gearbox job that he helped me with and when the money came in i let him have all the money for it

Then he took me out for a days pheasent shooting to say thanks :laughing:

Friend like that are few and far between and we go out of our way to help each other

He also fixes thinks for my family as if it was mine and i do jobs for his brothers and dad as well

But then there are a few others around that are always on the want and never offer anything in return

The guy next door needed a trailer welded so i offered to do it one wet day as i had nothing on. That job turned in to a few jobs as they do. Then one afternoon i came home from work and he was painting my house
What more can you ask for? So it seemed like a good time to light the bbq and get some beer out we have got on like a house on fire ever since:thumbsup:

weldermike · Mar 29, 2012

Shield Arc said:
I take it as most of you boys are not retired and bored out of your mind as I' am! I don't have to do this for a living, so I don't mind helping friends and neighbors, my labor means nothing, I'm just glad when they pay for consumables. One of the first projects I did once my shop was built, and I got my bridge crane built, was mount a backhoe on one of the neighbor's tractor, I also built him a 24-inch bucket for it. Didn't charge him a dime. He did buy me a Drill Doctor.

I built this gooseneck adapter for a friend, didn't charge him a dime.

Great job as always pal! Is that you with the red suspenders?

Shield Arc · Mar 29, 2012

weldermike said:
Great job as always pal! Is that you with the red suspenders?

Thank you!

Nope. I'm the one behind the camera, can't you see me?

weldermike · Mar 29, 2012

Hows this for an example. My brother has always been interested in wanting to try his hand at welding. But it was just easier for myself to do it for him. One week I was on vacation and gave him full reign to do whatever he wanted. I came home to 3 empty bottles of gas, and a few wks later a $250 electric bill. So its hard to justify price sometimes, but im a softy when it comes to friends and family.

weldermike · Mar 29, 2012

Shield Arc said:
Thank you!

Nope. I'm the one behind the camera, can't you see me?

Ha ha! Your a man of mystery shield arc!

Sublifer · Mar 29, 2012

I can't really comment on what it would/should cost but it does seem very high to me as well. I'm sure if JJ was told it would cost anything near that he'd have done it himself. I think this guy needed a new toy and decided to charge JJ what he needed to buy himself that toy.

ericher69 · Mar 29, 2012

I have an acquaintance that does side odd jobs. He does not think that he should tell people up front that job x will cost this much. But he is pissed off when they gripe about his rate afterwards... Bad business

brain55 · Mar 29, 2012

I'm a mobile equipment mechanic, but welding is part of the job. I charge by the hour, plus some kind of charge for materials, all depending on what I use. Any welding job I do is a minimum of an hour, by the time I get everything set up make the weld, whether its an inch or 20 feet, clean up and put everything away its an hour. I did a job earlier this week it was repairing ramps on a 20k trailer. One side had several cracks the other side was nearly completely broken, it took me 3+ hrs to make the repair. There was plenty of grinding and fitting involved. I charged him $270 for the repair at $90/hr plus $30 in materials, and $60 for my 20 miles of travel.